Refrigerating apparatus



e 1930- I R. H. CHILTON 1,785,857

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 18, 1926 47 Alf QQK Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED TATES PATENT orr cn j RALPH a. (micron, or Darren, 01110, hssicnon, BY mnsnn assrenunnrs, AIRE conroaa'rron, A conrona'rron OF'DELA'WABE ,anrarenaarme ArrAaArUs Application filed November 18,1926. Serial No. 149,107.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly to apparatus of the household type includi net having communicating food and cooling chambers, the latter chamber Containing a cooling unit or evaporator connected with a refrigerating machine.

One object of the present invention is to quickly cool a liquid, such as water, and to 10 provide for the circulation of the liquid in order to prevent freezing.

More particularly the invention relates to certain improvements in the type of liquid cooling apparatus described and claimed in the copending application of Lloyd M. Keighley, Serial No. 149,103, filed November 18, 1926. In said application, liquid may be stored in two containers, one in close proximity to the cooling unit and the other sub- 80 jected to a warmer temperature outside the cabinet. that circulation be established. paratus would of water by convection will It is apparent that such apnot be the most economical 2 since heat transfer may readily take place through the water circulation system between the outside of the cabinet and the cooling unit. In the present invention, the container, which is subjected to warmer temperature conditions, isplaced in close the warmer air circulatin in the food chamber and is sotconstructe and arranged as not to encroach upon the food chamber and the space requiredfor 85 thircirculation of air around the cooling unit.

urther objects and advantages of: the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being'had to the accom anying drawings, wherein a preferred em odlment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the app tion of the present invention to a refrigerator cabinet of the household type;

Fig.2 is a view on a largerscale than Fig,

lica- 1 and shows a front elevation of a,.cooling p apparatus, the walls inet being shown in unit and water coolin of the refrigerator ca W vertical section; and

g a refrigerator cabi- These containers are connected so proximity to the space required for to provide Figs. spectively on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 20. designates a refrigerator cabinet having a food chamber 21 and a cooling chamber 22. The chamber 22 contains a cooling unit which comprises an elongated header 23 and a lural- 1ty of pipe loops 24of metal of good t ermal conductivity connected therewith. These loops 24 provide vertical ducts 25 which are arranged in spaced horizontal rows; The inside rows cooperate with aheader to provide a quick freezing space 26 which'is ada to receive one or more metal sleeves 27w ich are attached to and thermally connected-with the inside rows of ducts 25. Each trayj27 is adapted to receive a metal'tra 28 for-contaming matter to be frozen. T e header 23 is supported from net by brackets 29-and 30, Liq

'ro m m,

ted

the top wall of the cabi-' 3 and 4 are sectional views taken reerant is conducted from a refrigerating .ma-

chine to the header 30 throu h pipe 31 and asified refrigerant is re- I.

afitting 32, and turned to the mac ine through. a fitting 33 andapipe34.

The chamber 22 is separated from the bers 21 and 22 is provided in part by arela tively thin,

vertically elongated tank or cori-- tamer 42 having its'bottom wall adjacent'the v partition 40 and its top wall spaced sub-i stantially below thetop wall of the cabinet an opening for admitting warm 1 air passing from the chamber 21 over the con tainer 42 and into the chamber 22 each'in'di-,

Fig. 1. The horizont L1 42 is substantially f cated by arrow 43 in depth of the container equal to the. distance betweenthe front wall 44 and the back wall 45' of the cabinet. The container 42is supported by means of plates 46 which are spaced apart as shown in Fig. '4 to provide a passage 47 between the upper art of the food chamber and the u chamber. Each p ate 46' is. a flange 48 permanently seof the coolin provided wit cured to the top wall ofthe container 42 and per part air Within the chamber 22 and cause it to dewith a flange 49 detachably secured in any suitable manner to the'top line wall of the cabinet. The container 42 is also supported to the back line wall of the cabinet by one or more brackets 50.

51 designates a relatively thin, vertically elongated liquid container which is located between certain horizontal rows of ducts 25 and may be in good thermal contact'with the inner row of ducts as shown in Fig. 2 so as to provide not only for quickly cooling liquid within the container, but also to provide a good thermal conductor between the air circulating adjacent the cooling unit and the pipe loops 24 of the unit. A water inlet pipe 52 is connected with the water supply main and with a T 53 connected by pipe 54 with the upper part of the container 51 and by a pipe 55 with the upper part of the container 42. A pipe 56 connects the bottom portions of the containers 51 and 42. A pipe '57 connects the container'42 with a faucet 58.

In operation the cooling unit will chill the scend as indicated by arrows 60 and 61 so that it will gravitate into the chamber 21 through the flue 41. On being warmed by contact with the food in the chamber 21, the air will ascend as indicated byarrows 62 to'the top of the cabinet and then through the assage 47 to the cooling chamber. Some of the warm air ascending as indicated, will A pass in contact with the container 42 and will therefore tend to maintain the tem erature of liquid therein at a substantial higher degree than the temperature of the liquid in the container 51. In this way circulation by convection 'will'be maintained between the containers 51 and 42, so that, although no water is drawn from the faucet 58 for a con siderable period, the water in the water cooling system will not be frozen.

- The water cooling system may be constructed and arranged so that the tempera ture of the water drawn from the faucet will remain approximatelyconstantly at the desired temperature for drinking purposes. In warm weather, when the refrigerant machine operates more frequently, the tendency toward reduction of temperature of the container 51 is counteracted by more rapid circulation of the water through the containers due to a higher temperature of the container 4 If desired, the piping could be arranged so that water would flow to the faucet 58 more rapidly from the container 51 than from the container 42, in order that the coldest body of the stored water would be used for drinking purposes.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a referred form, itis to be understood that ot erforms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1-. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having communicating food and cooling chambers, a cooling unit within the cooling chamber, a horizontal partition separating the chambers and providing a flue for admitting chilled air to the food chamber, a vertically elongated liquid container providing a vertical partition separating the chamhers and arranged to permit warmer air to pass above the container from the food chamber to the cooling chamber, a liquid container closely adjacent the cooling unit, and ducts respectively connecting the bottom and top portions of said containers.

2. Refrigerating apparatus com rising a cabinet having communicating fbod and cooling chambers, a cooling unit within the cooling chamber, said unit including a header and a plurality of horizontal rows of refrigerant ducts depending from the header, a vertically elongated liquid container located between certain rows of ducts, a vertically elongated container spaced from the unit and providing a portion of the partition separating the chambers, and ducts re spectively connecting the bottom and top portions of said containers.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a food chamber and a cooling chamber communicating with the food chamber; acooling unit in the cooling chamber; and means for containing a liquid and providing for the circulation thereof, said means comprising a container chilled by the cooling unit, a container subjected to warmducts connecting the containers to provide for circulation of liquid between the containers and in which the second mentioned container provides a portion of the partition separating thechambers of the cabinet.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a food chamber and a cooling chamber communicating with the food chamber; a cooling unit in the cooling chamber; and means for containing a liquid and providing for the circulation thereof, said means comprising a container chilled by the cooling unit, a container subjected to warmer air circulating in the food chamber, and ducts connecting the containers to provide for circulation of liquid between the containers and 'in which the liquid containing means comprises a container in close proximity to the cooling unit, a container spaced from the unit and providing a portion of the artition separating the warmer part of the 00d chamber from the cooling chamber.

5. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a. food chamber and a cooling chamber communicating with the food chamber; a cooling unit in the cooling chamber; and means for containing a liquid and providing for the circulation thereof, said means comprising a container chilled by the cooling unit, a container subjected to warmer air circulating in the food chamber, and ducts connecting the containers to provide for circulation of liquid between the con- 7 tainers and in which the first mentioned container is disposed in thermal contact with the cooling unit and in heat absorbing relation to the cooling unit and air circulating past the unit In testimony whereof I hereto alfix my signature.

RALPI-I H CHILTON. 

